Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

LOST VOICES
Author: Sarah Porter
Source: Amazon Vine
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books; None edition (July 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547482507
ISBN-13: 978-0547482507

Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?

I have mixed feelings about this book.  There were parts that I liked and parts that were not my favorite.  I loved the darker feel of Mermaid lore in Lost Voices.  I loved how the mermaids are like Sirens in a way that they sing for their victims to lure them into the sea.  I liked the characters of Luce and her spirit.  I was happy when she got away from her abusive Uncle who didn’t deserve the right to take of her.  


The author does go into quite a bit of details in the book. At times it was great, but most of the time it was too much.  It slowed the story down at times.  At times, the book dragged so much that I almost gave up on the whole story.  I didn’t like the treatment of the imperfect mermaids that they call Larvae. It seemed harsh, even if it was to go with the theme of the book.  I felt like Luce, and just wanted to help them throughout the story.


The ending was a disappointment as well.  Ms. Porter left too many things unresolved.  It needed closure, even if it is part of a series.  I felt cheated at the end, and that is not good for the reader.  Will I read the next book? Yes, just so I can see what happens and if the story progresses at a better pace.  I also want to read more about the darker lore of mermaids after reading a lot of fluffy paranormal.  I like how the author didn’t mix in romance with the darker feel of this book.  Doing that was the saving grace in my opinion.